


Runner-up and Still Champion

by Aishuu



Series: The Reluctant Hokage [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, Gen, Ignores the last couple of years of canon after Kishimoto jumped the shark for the umpteenth time, The Livejournal exodus, ninja playing politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-06
Updated: 2014-10-06
Packaged: 2018-02-20 03:54:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2414054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aishuu/pseuds/Aishuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kakashi really doesn't want to be Hokage, but that doesn't mean he's sure it's a good idea that Itachi becomes Godaime.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Runner-up and Still Champion

**Author's Note:**

> Since I gave up after everyone Pain killed was magically brought back to life, this ignores the Obito/Tobi/Madara mess, and assumes that Obito really died when Kakashi thought he did.

|    
  
The day after Sandaime had announced to the jounin that he'd decided on taking Uchiha Itachi as his apprentice, Hatake Kakashi arrived for his latest assignment. True, he was three days late already (and had planned to stretch his tardiness for two more days), but Kakashi had a powerful sense of curiosity – almost as powerful as his sense of duty.  
  
The announcement that Uchiha Itachi would be trained to become Godaime took everyone aback – and had everyone up in arms. The Uchiha Clan had done little to make themselves popular with the civilian citizenry, and the shinobi found them standoffish and power hungry. The clan held a particular animosity toward Kakashi, due to his "stolen" Sharingan, which raised other concerns.  
  
Despite his lackadaisical attitude, Kakashi had a keen understanding of politics and knew how to play the game. Kakashi knew, too, that most people considered him on the shortlist of Hokage candidates. While Jiraiya had the best odds of taking over from Sarutobi, Kakashi was a close second in the gambling pool. He had the pedigree and the skills, and a part of him had been resigned to accepting the position, should it be offered to him. That same part was gleeful that he'd avoided that unwanted honor. The last thing he wanted was that kind of responsibility.  
  
Though he wondered if the cost was too high. He, like the rest of the village's shinobi, had doubts about naming the Uchiha heir as the next Hokage. The idea of that clan gaining more power was frightening. For Kakashi, the best Hokage would be one who didn't want the job, someone who loved the village enough to step up in spite of the power, not because of it. Minato-sensei had been like that.  
  
No matter who took over, Kakashi would forever compare them unfavorably to Minato-sensei, since the Yondaime had been the perfect Hokage. A person couldn't compete with a legend like that.  
  
So when he slouched into Sarutobi's office late in the afternoon, he had limited expectations. He wanted to gauge Sarutobi's chosen successor for himself. If he felt the boy unworthy, he had a couple of options – none of them appealing, but he would do what was necessary.  
  
The boy was seated off to the side of the room, at a smaller desk that probably had belonged to one of the Hokage's secretaries, since it bore signs of wear. The desk was piled high with scrolls and papers, and Kakashi couldn't help but want to smirk. Sandaime's distaste for paperwork was well-known, and it appeared that he was using this opportunity to shovel off the hated chore onto his successor.  
  
Kakashi made a point of not letting his gaze linger on Sandaime's successor, instead focusing his eyes straightforward to look at the Hokage. He could stare later, but for now he wanted to see how the Uchiha handled being ignored. If he tried to butt into the conversation, it would tell Kakashi a lot.  
  
Sandaime had removed his hat and was puffing away at his pipe, exhaling the sickly sweet smoke with relish. He waved a hand to indicate Kakashi should come closer, rather than stand at the comfortable ten foot distance most jounin preferred to maintain.   
  
As an elite jounin, Kakashi only accepted missions given by the Hokage himself. It was true he was a weapon of the village, but wise leadership knew when some tools were best kept in reserve. Deploying elite jounin required thought, and it was best that they were tightly controlled. Kakashi didn't mind, since he spent much more of his time unencumbered by pointless missions. But it did mean that whenever he was assigned a task, it would be challenging and carried a high probability of mortality.  
  
"I've been waiting for your report for three days now," Sandaime said, not quite meeting Kakashi's eyes, but instead looking over his shoulder at the boy. Most people wouldn't have noticed, but Kakashi's life depended on his ability to observe others.  
  
"There was a little old lady who lost her wallet in the river, so of course I had to help her retrieve it." As excuses went, it wasn't one of his best, but mentioning a "little old lady" was always a good standby.   
  
Sandaime rolled his eyes. "I'm sure," he said, holding out his hand for the scroll.  
  
Kakashi handed over the scroll he'd killed two men to retrieve. Sandaime briefly perused it before tossing it over his shoulder into his in-basket. Had Kakashi not been so experienced, he might have found the offhandedness offensive after what he'd gone through, but he'd learned long ago not to weigh his individual actions too heavily. As long as it served Konoha, he wouldn't let any resentment fester inside.  
  
"I don't know if you've met my apprentice yet," Sandaime said, lifting his voice so it would carry to where Itachi was sitting. Itachi rose to his feet and crossed the room to stand beside Sandaime.  
  
What struck Kakashi immediately was how _tiny_ Itachi was.  
  
Kakashi had known Itachi was young, but his reputation had proceeded him. But Kakashi's lofty position among the shinobi meant he didn't spend much time around youngsters, with the exception of his annual outing to flunk his latest proposed genin team. Itachi was smaller than most of those students, having not yet really entered adolescence.   
  
Despite that, Kakashi wasn't going to underestimate the boy's intelligence. Unlike most people, he understood the burden of being a childhood prodigy. If Sandaime had decided on Itachi, there had to be something special there. Whether it was a good special or bad special remained to be seen.  
  
Kakashi lifted a hand and smiled under his mask. "Yo," he said.  
  
Itachi blinked, not having expected the casualness of the greeting. "It's nice to meet you," he replied. He had a surprisingly soft voice for someone of his age and position.  
  
A ninja had to be able to judge a person within seconds. First impressions were all that mattered, since making a mistake could end up in a sudden case of dead. So Kakashi came to a conclusion quickly.  
  
He made the decision not to decide. He would wait and see what Itachi came up with.  
  
When he left the room, he saw Asuma, Genma and Hayate waiting for him. "Well?" Asuma asked. "Has my old man completely lost it?"  
  
Kakashi shrugged. "Do any of us have it?" he asked, before offering a smile and earning a curse from Asuma.  
  
The next couple of months, Kakashi was in and out of the Hokage's office at irregular intervals, dropping off reports. Of course, he always arrived late at unpredictable intervals, often coming in without announcing his presence.  
  
He took the opportunity to observe how Itachi was getting along with Sandaime and the other ninja. It seemed to be going well, since there was a gradual decrease in the amount of paperwork on Sandaime's desk, though Itachi's pile remained about the same size. The boy was efficient, and didn't seem to be complaining or trying to undermine his mentor.  
  
Itachi would always look up and nod when Kakashi arrive, but didn't speak up. If it hadn't been for the soft sound of his breathing, Kakashi would have thought he was a mannequin.   
  
About a year into Itachi's apprenticeship, the routine changed. Itachi became the one to hand out the mission scrolls, under the watchful eye of Sandaime, and the one to whom the reports were delivered. Sandaime was trying to step back, using his authority to bolster his successor's respect from his subordinates. Training the shinobi to respond to Itachi like this was a subtle, clever plot.  
  
When Itachi turned fifteen, the tide shifted yet again. Kakashi arrived to deliver his report, only six hours behind schedule this time, to find Itachi sitting alone in the Hokage's office, working through some papers. "You're late," Itachi said softly, his voice devoid of any inflection.  
  
"I had to take a super-secret route to avoid having the Fire Lord's niece fall in love with me," Kakashi replied. "It took longer to get back to the village than it should have."  
  
Itachi set his quill aside, lifting his head to look at Kakashi directly. "You've been back in the village for over a day," he said, folding his hands on the desk.  
  
This was a confrontation Kakashi had been half-expecting: Itachi trying to take control of him. He'd had other commanders try to call him out on his chronic tardiness, but none of them had managed to cow him. They'd tried pleading to his sense of responsibility, bribery and threats, but Kakashi never arrived anywhere on schedule. He would be late because he wanted to, a constant tribute to the teammate he had lost.   
  
"She might have spies here," he said, smiling again and wondering how Itachi would react to losing this battle of wills.   
  
Itachi shook his head, then said the only thing that could have ever sent Kakashi reeling. With one sentence, Kakashi was utterly defeated, and had to admit Sandaime had chosen a successor who was perceptive enough to understand others, and smart enough to know that not all battles needed to be fought physically.   
  
"Obito was never intentionally late."  
---  
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End file.
